The Innovation Policy Network
 

Workshops - Overview


The innovation policy network

A platform for informal thinking, learning and debate

The 6CP holds two international workshops each year, traditionally in the spring and autumn seasons. The aim of these meetings is to further our understanding of innovation policies and practices and to improve the coordination of efforts in the field, by bringing together experts from various countries, sectors and disciplines to share their insights and experiences and to debate common issues of interest and concern.

The first 6CP workshop dates back to 1976. In the ensuing years, many topics have been covered on relevant and pressing issues of the day. Information about the next workshop and an overview of past workshops can be found below.

6CP member organizations take turns organizing and hosting these events, and coordinating the preparation of background papers and presentations. A special effort is made to balance conceptual issues and empirical case studies, and to attract a wide array of policy-makers and practitioners from both the public and private sectors. Participants take part in these workshops in a personal capacity rather than as formal representatives of their organizations. This creates an atmosphere of informality that stimulates open and candid exchanges of information and views.

The 6CP workshops present ideal opportunities for networking with other leading experts in the field, while sharing perspectives on new developments and best practices. If you are interested in participating in the next workshop or would like further information, please contact a member of the Steering Committee from your country or, if your country is not represented, the Committee chairperson. General information requests can be directed to the 6CP Secretariat

Upcoming Workshop

Non-Technical Innovations - Definition, Measurement and Policy Implications
16-17 October 2008, Karlsruhe, Germany
Increasing the innovation power of countries, regions and firms is one of the most important goals of policy makers. Innovation is seen as the backbone of the competitive capability and economic growth of economies. In order to manage and influence the innovation capability policy makers need reliable data on innovation taking place in universities, research institutes and firms. It is therefor crucial to have adequate indicators and monitoring instruments for measuring innovation.

The current understanding of innovation is mainly linked to technical product and process innovations. This is mirrored in existing measurement instruments predominantly surveying R&D based technical innovations with indicators like public or business R&D epxenditures, number of employees in R&D, sales of new-to-market products, sales of new-to-firm products or number of patents. However, many studies show that not only the development and absorption of new technologies is important for the success of economies, but also the implementation of new organisational structures or processes or the development and application of new service concepts. Organisational innovations are important because they often act as faciliotators of an efficient use of technical innovations as their success depends on the degree to which the organisational routines respond to the use of these new technologies. Similar is true for service innovations. New services which are offered together with new technologies often facilitate the access to new markets and customers. Organisational and service innovations furthermore present an immediate source of competitive advantage since they themselves have a significant impact on firm performance. Hence, in order to measure the innovation capability of firms and economies it is important to include both sides of innovation: the technical and non-technical side.

Current innovation measurement instruments, however, only have started to integrate the non-technical side of innovation. The latest edition of the Oslo Manual, which serves as the main methodological source for innovation surveys in Europe, has integrated non-technical types of innovation. Depsite these efforts, research and knowledge on non-technical types of innovation is still in early stages. There is a need to increase common understanding and further harmonising the definitions and measurement concepts regarding non-technicalo innovations. Furthermore, it is important for research and innovation policy to understand the impact of organisational and service innovations on performance outcomes as well as their interaction with technical innovations. Hence, the workshop aims at contributing to achieve a better understanding of non-technical innovations by discussing adequate measurement concepts and analysing their relevance for firms' and economies' performance outcomes, in order to derive implications for innovation policy and research. The workshop will bring together researchers and policy makers with special expertise in the area of organisational and service innovations.

Flyer Karlsruhe

Documents for downloading available

"Les Grands Projets : still important for innovation opportunities?", 19 - 20 November 2007, Brussels, Belgium

This year, the 6CP Autumn Conference will deal with the well-known French concept of “Les Grands Projets industriels”, addressed in relation to new developments in the practice and science of innovation policy. This conference is organized by IWT, the Agency for funding of research and innovation in Flanders (Belgium), on behalf of the Six Countries Programme and will take place in November 19-20, 2007 in Brussels. Technopolis Group, an international consultancy advising research and innovation policy makers, has been appointed to assist IWT in the organisation of this conference.

The Six Countries Programme Conference intends to debate large-scale public-private partnerships – also known as Grands Projets after their French labelling. Grands projets are still used by most public authorities in advanced and developing economies to trigger and support innovation. However, they have evolved. They are now very different from the technological programmes and R&D research consortia that were set-up in the 1970s and 1980s in France, Japan or the US.

Through discussions with international experts and decision makers involved in past and present Grands Projets around the world, this conference aims at assessing the effectiveness of Grands Projets to cope with the current and future challenges of knowledge economies. The conclusions and results of this conference should inform public and private decision makers on the impact of Grands Projets on innovation and competitiveness. The conference should also focus on their added value to address global issues and their relevance to support the building of the European Research Area.

Documents for downloading available.

Overview of past workshops
YearTheme (with links to workshop proceedings, presentations & background papers)
2007 From innovation policy research to local policy implementation: strategic policy intelligence guiding concrete innovation support measures (Dublin, 19-20 April 2007)
2006 Going global: the challenges for knowledge-based economies (Helsinki, 21-22 September 2006)
  Innovation policy learning: change in thinking - change in doing? (Stockholm, 23-24 May 2006)
2005 Innovation and procurement (Manchester, 16 November 2005)
  The future of research: new players, roles and strategies (Rotterdam, 21-22 April 2005)
2004 Linking defence and security R&D to innovation: the challenge ahead (Brussels, 19 November 2004)
  Internationalisation of R&D: recent trends and arising policy challenges for the future (Helsinki, 17-18 June 2004)
2003 Crossing borders: venturing into the European research area (Austria & Hungary, 30-31 October 2003)
  Turning new ideas into wealth: SMEs in the era of disruptive technologies (Vancouver, June 5-6)
2002 New governance for innovation: the need for horizontal and systemic policy coordination (Karlsruhe, 14-15 November 2002)
  Innovation policy and sustainable development: Can public innovation incentives make a difference? (Brussels, 28 February-1 March 2002)
2001 Merging innovation cultures: leveraging creativity for competitive advantage (Dublin, 4-5 October 2001)
  Innovation policies for a new era (Stockholm, 15-16 January 2001)
2000 Services in innovation: the role of knowledge intensive business services in the innovation process of firms (Utrecht, 11-12 May 2000)
1999 Services innovation and the knowledge economy (Manchester, 22-23 April 1999)
1998 Knowledge transfer in the information society (Budapest, 19-20 Nov 1998)
  R&T co-operation with Central and Eastern European countries (Vienna, 25-16 May 1998)
1997 Local innovation: new social, economic and technological dimensions (Dublin, November 1997)
  The past and future of EU research funding: framework programmes under consideration (Helsinki, 16-17 June 1997)
1996 Innovation and sustainable development: lessons for innovation policies (Germany, November 1996)
  R&D subsidies at stake: in search of a rationale for public funding of industrial R&D (Gent, 18-19 April 1996)
1995 Re-inventing the future? Foresight at the edge of chaos (Stockholm, November 1995)
  Technology, innovation and (un)employment (Rotterdam, 15-16 June 1995)
1994 Research co-operation with countries in transition (Vienna, 1-2 December 1994)
  Innovation: applying new ideas for profit (London, 25-26 May 1994)
1993 Financing the early stage technology company in the 1990's: an international perspective (Montreal, 8-9 November 1993)
  National networks to global links (Dublin, 21-22 June 1993)
1992 User-producer relations in the innovation process (Helsinki, 26-27 November 1992)
  Lean company: model and practise, context and policy (Stuttgart, 11-12 May 1992)
1991 Technical competence and firm strategy: implications for public policy (Stockholm, 5-6 November 1991)
  Innovation and society: in search of new linkages (Noordwijk, 16-17 April 1991)
1990 Technological innovation and the service sector (Vienna, 23-24 October 1990)
  R&D organisations in the 1990's (London, 14-15 May 1990)
1989 The internationalisation of R&D (Ottawa, 16-17 October 1989)
  The future of the rural economy (Shannon, 22-23 May 1989)
1988 Inter-firm innovation dynamics (Stuttgart, 3-4 October 1988)
1987 Regional innovation supporting services (The Hague, 7-8 December 1987)
  Investment in training (Paris, 23-25 April 1987)
1986 Home informatics (London, 3-4 November 1986)
  Engineering education for industrial development (Stockholm, 9-10 June 1986)
1985 Financing of entrepreneurial ventures and innovation (Vienna, 30 Sept. - 1 Oct. 1985)
  International technology transfer: promotion and barriers (Ottawa, 6-7 May 1985)
1984 Regional innovation policies and programmes (Limerick, 19-20 November 1984)
  Policies for industrial innovations: situations and perspectives (Bonn, 7-8 May 1984)
1983 Technological information from abroad: scientific attaches and other public institutions, industrial needs and public policies (The Hague, December 1983)
  Technological culture and success in industry (Paris, 6-7 June 1983)
1982 Evaluating the effectiveness of government innovation policies (London, 22-23 November 1982)
  Industry-university relations (Stockholm, 10-11 May 1982)
1981 A systematic approach to innovation (The Hague, 23-24 November 1981)
  Regional innovation policy: technology policies or regional policies (Sophia Antipolis, 1-2 June 1981)
1980 New entrepreneurship and the smaller innovative firm (Limerick, 9-10 June 1980)
  National innovation policies (Berlin, 1-2 December 1980)
1979 Trends in collective industrial research (London, 26-27 November 1979)
  Industrial innovation and government regulation (The Hague, 11-13 June 1979)
1978 Technical change and employment (Paris, 13-14 November 1978)
  Government procurement policies and industrial innovation (Dublin, 6-7 June 1978)
1977 Small- and medium-sized manufacturing firms: their role and problems in innovation. Government policy in Europe, the USA, Canada, Japan and Israel (The Hague, 21-22 November 1977)
  The current international economic climate and policies for technical innovation (November 1977)
1976 Government aid to technical change in the mechanical engineering industries (Karlsruhe, 19 April 1977)
  Government direct financial assistance to industry: programmes, experiences and trends (London, 12-13 October 1976)


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